This is a series of interviews with the people who make haunted houses, horror movies, and more what they are today.
Today we interview Mr. Haunted Mansion, Jeff Baham. He is the Web guru behind Doom Buggies4, the ultimate Disney Haunted Mansion tribute archive. The Haunted Mansion is credited with being one of the best haunted houses in the nation and one of the original purveyors of the whole idea of haunted houses.
Why did you first become interested in the haunted house/horror business?
I created DoomBuggies.com in 1997 as a piece for my web design portfolio, actually. But I chose the subject matter because of my deep admiration for Disneyland and the classic "E" Ticket attractions from my childhood. I think people could tell I really loved the Haunted Mansion, and responded to my website because of that.
I've always loved haunted houses, and used to build them with a friend in various locations throughout the South Bay area in California. Our largest one took over two spaces in a strip mall in Fremont, California for two nights. It was clearly just a hobby, but we would donate the proceeds to homeless aid charities, so it was worth our efforts. My interest in Halloween, haunted houses, and special effects all plays into my reasons for creating DoomBuggies.com as well.
What previous jobs have you had?
I’m a graphic designer, and my very first job in high school was in the art department of a local classified advertising paper. I’ve been in art departments ever since.
What job do you do right now? Is the haunted house/horror job your full time gig?
I’m the art director for a group of Silicon Valley newspapers by day, and an archivist of Haunted Mansion memories by night. Although I’ve spoken about Disney’s Haunted Mansion at horror conventions and authored a book about it, I can’t say that the dark industries are my full time gig – at least, not yet!
What’s the scariest haunted house you ever attended?
I used to visit the Young Life Haunted Houses out here in the San Francisco Bay Area as a child, and those would scare the pants off of me – but then again, even the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland gave me the chills as a child. The Pirates of Emerson out here in the Bay Area is a pretty good show. I wouldn’t say it’s the scariest thing around, but it has loads of great atmosphere, which is what I prefer to outright shocks.
What inspires you to create?
Being surrounded by creativity pushes me forward. That’s why I like the Disney parks. I think one of Walt Disney’s strengths was finding good people to put on a project, and those people knew enough to put the story, scene, or gag in front of the technology; and I find that inspirational as well. I’m impressed by the way they put the story first, and the technology or “know-how” second; I find that to be an inspiration toward putting first things first.
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